State Department: US concerned about actions of pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine
State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said on Thursday that the US is deeply concerned about the alarming pattern of violence and brutality on the part of Russia-supported separatists in eastern Ukraine toward unarmed civilian employees of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission.
Recently, she continued, in the east of Ukraine, a number of incidents have taken place in which the participants of the Monitoring Mission have been harassed, threatened, and subjected to shelling. This happened, in particular, on June 20 during a return of the Mission's vehicle, Nauert reported. Earlier, an American citizen who was part of the emergency team within the OSCE mission was tragically killed in April in an area controlled by the separatists; the car in which he was stationed struck an explosive device.
"The incidents are part of a broader effort to keep the international community from seeing what is happening in eastern Ukraine," the State Department spokeswoman said. "We call on Russia to use its influence to end this campaign of intimidation, and honor its commitment to allow free, full, and safe access to OSCE Monitors."
The State Department spokesperson noted that it is urgent to ensure a long-term and stable ceasefire in order to end human suffering and achieve progress in implementing the Minsk agreements.